Mangos

T loves fruit, the sweeter the better.  She's a girl after my own heart (or stomach in this instance).  I've been trying to introduce more veggies than fruits, since those aren't as popular and I want her to have balanced tastes.  But she hasn't had any new fruits lately, and sometimes it's handy to mix veggies with the fruits.  Plus, mangos were on sale last week so that's what we're trying! 

Mangos are somewhat tricky to cut and peel.  The trick that works for me is to use this fantastic Pampered Chef tool called the hold 'n slice that my mother-in-law gave me several years ago.  I cut the mango in half (around the seed pod) then jam the tool into that side so it doesn't slide around while I cut the other side.  Then I'll cut the flesh away from the skin, and dice the fruit.  It was pretty slick!  For this batch, I used 5 mangos and my small sauce pan, plus about 1/2C water.  The fruit simmered on med-low heat for around 10 minutes, until soft.  My cook book said you can either lightly steam or puree raw for 6-8 month olds, but I went ahead and fully cooked the fruit for the first time. The mangos selected were more on the raw side, so they needed softening before she could eat them.  Since their so soft now, I shouldn't need to add any liquid when pureeing. 

T l.o.v.e.d mangos!  She wasn't sure of the texture for the first few bites, but quickly decided the taste was delicious.  We've been working with her, trying to teach her the sign for "more".  Once she finished her mangos today and realized the cup was empty, she immediately started signing "more" for the first time!  We were so proud, then had to quickly unfreeze more mangos to reward her for signing correctly.